Skip to main content
Become a MusicRadar VIP - it's free
- Join our community
SampleRadar
Access over 90,000 royalty-free samples
The MusicRadar app
Full access and custom feeds
MusicRadar Newsletters
The latest music and gear news inboxed
Earn Member Badges
Climb the MusicRadar charts
Coming soon: VIP-only Giveaways
Win pro-grade music gear and more
Join the conversation
Connect with other musicians and fans
BECOME A MUSICRADAR VIP
For the quickest way to join, enter your email below. We’ll send a confirmation email and sign you up to MusicRadar newsletters with the latest music news, gear reviews, tutorials and exclusive offers.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
Get VIP Access Quick

Become a MusicRadar VIP for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Welcome to Become a MusicRadar VIP !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Earn your first badge
Start reading to unlock your first badge
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Hot music news

Hot music news

The latest news from the hottest artists.

Explore
Make better music

Make better music

Explore tutorials, tips and guides for creating music.

Explore

Your membership perks

Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

Explore now

Get the MusicRadar Newsletter

Get the latest music news, gear reviews, deals and tutorials delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up here

Sign Out
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
More
  • Rodrigo's Cure
  • California Dreamin'
  • "Apotheosis of mediocrity" - Rundgren vs Swift
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Tech
  2. Software & Apps
  3. Plugins

VST/AU plugin instrument/effect round-up: Week 68

News
By Ben Rogerson
Published 21 August 2013

More tools to put in your DAW's locker

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The latest releases

The latest releases

We've got synth and piano instruments for you this week, alongside a drum machine, a sampler with a difference and a couple of effects.

Also make sure you check out these regularly updated features:

The 39 best VST plug-in synths in the world today

The 14 best VST plug-in drum machines in the world today

If you've got a new PC or Mac plug-in, make sure you let us know about it by emailing musicradar.pressreleases@futurenet.com with all the details.

NEXT: Psychic Modulation Construct

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Psychic Modulation Construct

Psychic Modulation Construct

Layering is the name of the game with this drum machine, which is based on a “sound design workflow”. Powered by both synthesis and samples, you can use Transient, Oscillator and Ambience layers to build up each sound, and you can use up to eight drum modules.

Buy or download demo of Psychic Modulation Construct

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Adam Monroe Music Honky Tonk Piano

Adam Monroe Music Honky Tonk Piano

Fancy bashing out a bit of ragtime? This sample-based instrument is designed to give you the appropriate sound, which can be tweaked using reverb, chorus, delay and lo-fi effects. A standalone, cross-platform Kontakt library is also included in the price.

Buy Adam Monroe Music Honky Tonk Piano

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Manx XS-3

Manx XS-3

This replacement for the XS-2 emulates DCO technology from the '80s. There are two oscillators, three 6-stage envelope generators and a filter section that can be switched between mono and polyphonic. The synth is 8-note polyphonic.

Buy or download demo of Manx XS-3

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Cerberus Audio Epoch Dynamic Comb Filter

Cerberus Audio Epoch Dynamic Comb Filter

Designed as an alternative to traditional EQs and compressors, Epoch promises “musically reactive” equalisation and compression that offers a “wider range of tonal colour” than its rivals. Notable elements of the central comb filter section include a “360 degree phase rotator” and a “fractional delay”.

Buy or download demo of Cerberus Audio Epoch Dynamic Comb Filter

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
LVC-Audio Transector

LVC-Audio Transector

A transient design plugin that can be used to boost the initial attack of certain instruments (to add more crack to a snare or kick, for example) and to simultaneously decay portions of audio. It's highly customisable, offering three independent transient bands and extreme settings that you can get creative with.

Buy or download demo of LVC-Audio Transector

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Inear Display Tkapik

Inear Display Tkapik

It has a strange name and isn't much to look at, but Tkapik is actually an amplitude controlled generative sampler plugin. Or, to put it another way, once you've loaded it onto a track and loaded a sample into it, this will be triggered with random settings every time an amplitude peak is detected in the input signal.

Buy or download demo of Inear Display Tkapik

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Dopekitz.com SubStation SubBass Workstation

Dopekitz.com SubStation SubBass Workstation

A collection of more than 50 sub and synth bass patches that are said to be suitable for use in hip-hop, R&B and dubstep. The idea is that they're ready to rattle your speakers right out of the box without any further processing. The control set is minimal, though you do get an ADSR envelope and a Glide knob.

Buy or download demo of Dopekitz.com SubStation SubBass Workstation

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson
Social Links Navigation
Deputy Editor

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

Read more
Steinberg Classics Collection
Plugins Steinberg marks 30 years of VST with the Classics Collection, which includes the first VST synth
 
 
Reason Free
Plugins Reason Free puts 15 classic Reason devices in one free plugin that you can use in your existing DAW
 
 
boss
Samples Are you bored of the TR-808? Explore this treasure trove of free obscure drum machine samples
 
 
Native Instruments Komplete 26
Soft Synths “We know you want it, but do you really (really) need it?”: Native Instruments Komplete 26 review
 
 
OpenDAW
Digital Audio Workstation Who needs Logic or Ableton Live when free browser-based DAWs are becoming this good?
 
 
A guitar VST running in Kontakt player on a computer
Plugins Best guitar VSTs 2026: Get the best simulated guitar tones for your next production
 
 
Latest in Plugins
Baby Audio HyperWarp
Plugins Baby Audio HyperWarp wants to be your new quick-fix for glitches, stutters and out-there inspiration
 
 
cherry
Plugins "It's one of the rarest synthesizers ever made": Cherry Audio brings a forgotten ‘80s synth back to life
 
 
phoenix
Tech "This is a dream inspiration engine": BT and Spitfire Audio team up for Phoenix hybrid synth
 
 
Bit Layer
Tech This free multiband bitcrusher is a surgical tool for lo-fi sound design
 
 
autotune
Tech "Since 1997, the complaint about pitch correction has been the same: it takes the singer out of the singing. That's the problem DVA was built to solve": Antares launches AutoTune Advanced with new DVA vibrato engine
 
 
autotune
Tech Antares AutoTune Advanced makes the trade-off between pitch-perfect vocals and natural vibrato a thing of the past
 
 
Latest in News
Oasis Dont' Look Back in Anger poster crop
Bands “One of our defining cultural moments of recent times”: Streaming details for Oasis reunion doc revealed
 
 
behringer
Tech Behringer unveils Jam and Jam Play MIDI controllers
 
 
avalanches
Artists “Sampling is our art form. We’ve accepted that we’re not going to make loads of money from record sales!”: The Avalanches on why clearing samples is harder than ever, working with Jamie xx and swapping hardware samplers for Pro Tools
 
 
Rob Halford and Ian Hill
Artists “I’ve been struggling with the onset of the evil arthritis”: Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill retires
 
 
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Thom Yorke, winner of the Academy Fellowship, and Harry Styles pose backstage at The 71st Ivor Novello Awards 2026 at The JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel on May 21, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Ivors)
Artists Thom Yorke offers an odd response to Harry Styles when he tells him that he uses GarageBand
 
 
Levi Seacer Jr and Prince
Artists Prince had notes for guitarist Levi Seacer Jr in his first rehearsal: “I do the rock thing. Got it?”
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...